Empty Nest: Season 3
Season 3 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Empty Nest Season 2.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 3 Progress Shield
A Flaw is Born
Sep 22, 1990
Harry is uncomfortable dating a more successful woman, a world-famous brain surgeon; Carol and Barbara plot revenge on an inconsiderate man who met Carol on a plane and promised to
Harry's Excellent Adventure
Sep 29, 1990
Harry looks forward to his golf game until he has to cancel to help Barbara with her taxes and Carol with her car. Tired of having no time for himself, he follows a globe-trotting
There's No Accounting
Oct 6, 1990
Carol is drawn to Barbara's sensitive, intelligent new boyfriend and can't figure out why he would be interested in Barbara. Harry is bored by his new girlfriend, a lady who seems
Barbara the Mom
Oct 13, 1990
Barbara fears she has no motherly instincts when babysitting her boyfriend's young kids. Carol volunteers at the zoo and finds that the pandas only mate when she is around. Harry i
The Tortoise and the Harry
Oct 20, 1990
When a patient is depressed after his best friend moves away, Harry gives him a pet turtle. The boy becomes more upset when the turtle dies soon after. Carol talks Barbara into tak
Mad About the Boy
Oct 27, 1990
After being dumped yet again, Carol flips out and falls in love with the first man she can find: an oddball who passes out cheese samples at the mall. Laverne decides to spice up H
Honey, I Shrunk Laverne
Nov 3, 1990
Laverne quits when Harry complains that she is making too many office decisions without him. Carol talks Barbara into letting her join her poker game.
The Boy Next Door
Nov 10, 1990
During a moment of weakness, Carol and Charley sleep together. Thinking perhaps their hate for one another is actually masking love, they attempt to build a relationship.
A Family Affair
Nov 17, 1990
Harry suspects that Barbara's new boyfriend is married, and when he voices his concerns Barbara gets mad. Worried that Dreyfuss is getting too fat, the Westons put him on a diet, b
Someone to Watch Over Me
Nov 24, 1990
Charley wants visitors during a hospital stay and when his parents can't come, he hires actors to play them. A neighbor accuses Dreyfuss of fathering his dog's puppies.
Harry Knows Best
Dec 8, 1990
A young patient of Harry's announces she wants a nose job. Charley thinks about a career as a gigolo. The Westons decide to take a new family portrait.
Whenever I Feel Afraid
Dec 15, 1990
Laverne is fearful after a mugging. Carol and Barbara compete for a handsome new neighbor.
A Shot in the Dark
Jan 5, 1991
Barbara mistakes Carol's boyfriend for a burglar and shoots him. He stays with the Westons to recuperate and only ends up getting hurt worse. Harry helps Laverne confront her fear
Sucking Up is Hard to Do
Jan 19, 1991
Carol advises Barbara on how to suck up to get a job promotion. Laverne plays matchmaker for Harry.
The Man That Got Away
Jan 26, 1991
Barbara tries to get a man she likes to ask her out. Laverne must cast the deciding vote on an important Hickory issue.
The Mentor
Feb 2, 1991
Harry realizes his mentor is getting too old to practice medicine, but is afraid to tell him. Meanwhile, Carol and Barbara prepare for a piano recital.
The Dog Who Knew Too Much
Feb 9, 1991
The Westons each pour their hearts out to Dreyfuss when the girls decide to move out after two years at home.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Feb 16, 1991
Harry dates a 28 year old, which upsets Carol, Barbara, and the girl's parents. Laverne shapes up a nurse trainee.
All About Harry
Mar 9, 1991
Harry dates a newspaper writer who begins writing about their relationship in her column. Charley is rendered impotent after a medical experiment backfires.
Drive, He Said
Mar 16, 1991
Harry is supposed to get Charley back to the house for a surprise party, but instead the two end up searching for Charley's old girlfriend whom he never got over. Meanwhile, Carol,
The Last Temptation of Laverne
Mar 23, 1991
Laverne's aunt Retha will lend a house down payment only if Laverne, though innocent, will assume blame for a car accident. Carol and Barbara meet an old man in the park who is mov
What's Eating You?
Apr 13, 1991
Harry forces Barbara to spend a week at home with him and Carol, away from the stress of police work, when a physical reveals she has a pre-ulcerous condition. But as the week prog
The Cruise
May 4, 1991
While on a cruise, Barbara practices for a talent show, Harry tries to avoid two ladies who won't leave him alone, and Carol finds the man of her dreams...who disappears when Charl
The Way We Are
May 11, 1991
Harry looks forward to a visit from a childhood sweetheart, until a childhood rival also resurfaces. Charley wonders what FICA is when the company starts taking part of his paychec